Art of transforming wood.



. stances in the wood do,

the inexpensive woods in such a manner as cated reliance is had upon the action of *certain colorless salts upon the tannicacid wood; this being due to the fact that the an- I intoboards, planks, flit ches or deals, of any WILLIAM AUGUSTUS HALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN MAHOGANY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Alt/1. 0F TRANSFORMING WOOD.

964,017. No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 30,

Patented July 12, 1910. 1903. Serial No. 424,077.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Transforming Wood, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to produce, from comparatively inexpensive woods, products resembling, in color and texture, some of the fine light colored cabinet woods, or to produce fancy colored woods with highly developed grain. effects, and desirable as ornamental Woods in cabinet work or-for other uses, and different in color from any natural or untreated woods. This object is-accomplished, and products such as are just above mentioned are produced, by a novel process of treating to color them, throughout their bodies, to any shades which it may be desirable to roduce or imitate, and causing the grain to be rominently developed. 1

or producing the results as just indior other tannic matters contained naturally in the wood itself. By colorless salts reference is intended to be made to salts which, although not strictly water white, would not of themselves serve as coloring matters to produce theshades or eflects desired; but, which," acting chemically on subin conjunction with such substances, effect a transformation in the appearance of the wood. The salts or reagents which are employedfor coloring the wood, and with which the wood is impregnated throughout, produce more of an insoluble precipitate of a difi'erent shade or color in the grain cells in the concentric annualirings than inthe other parts of the nual rings contain a larger percentage'of tannic'acid than is contained in the other parts of the wood. I

'In carrying ,the invention or discovery into effect'the wood is. preferably first sawed.

convenient slze, and is well seasoned or dried. The dry wood isthen saturated or impregnated throughout with av solutionof ably be employed.

a salt to be used for producingany desired light color differing from the natural color 0 the wood. This will preferably be effected by first subjecting the dry wood to the action of a vacuum 1n a'closed tank or receptacle, for the purpose'of removing the air and rendering the Wood absorbent, then introducing the solution into the tank or receptacle and forcing such solution into and throughout the Wood under hydraulic pressure, such treatment not necessarily requiring any heat. The wood may, however, be treated by an open vat process, and in such case the solution will preferably be heated to or near the boiling point. The open vat process will, however, require more time.

For roducing lumber having shades of light si ver grays a 3 to 4 Baum solution of. ferrous sulfate or ferrous'acetate, or other salts of iron, dvillpreferably be employed; and for producin light browns or light reds 4 to 6 Baume solution of sodium carbonate or other similar salts, will prefer- It will be understood that'this process can be effectively utilized only on woods that contain, throughout their entire structure, a certain percentage of tannic acid or ligneous matter which wlllbe acted on by the'colorless salts employed, to stain the woods to the desired shades. The woods which I have thus far found more suitable for operation on by this process are maple and birch, although any wood containing any compound of tannin. may also be utilized to secure the above described results.

An'important result effected by this novel process is that the natural grain of the wood is greatly developed in appearance, producing remarkable figured e ectswlth woods 1n which, in their natural or untreated state, thegrain is comparatively inconspicuous, or

,in which it naturally shows but little. The

cause of this greatly developed appearance of the figures of the grain, when treated by this novel process,is that a larger percentage .oftannin, or allied matter, to be acted on by the colorless salt, is deposited or con tained in the open grain cells and in theannular rings of the wood, so thatmuch darker shades are produced by the action of the salts in the annular rings than in the harder ortions of the wood where less tannin exists, thereby bringing out the gram very conspicuously.

Having thus described my invention l claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat 1. The improvement in the art of treating wood for the purpose of transforming its appearance and producing light shades of color different from the natural color of the wood, consisting in impregnating or saturating the wood throughout with a solution of'a practically colorless salt,which, acting on the tannin or allied matter, contained in the wood, produces the shade or color'desired, such treatment forming an insoluble precipitate by the action of the salt employed on the tannin of the wood existing in a much larger percentage in the grain cells, thereby developing and rendering very prominent the grain thereof, while coloring the entire bod of the wood throughout but to lighter sha es than those given to the grain. r

2. The improvement in the art of treating wood for the purpose of transforming its appearance, consisting in firstdrying or seasoning the wood, then subjecting the dried wood toavacuum process in a closed tank or receptacle, for the purpose of removing the air therefrom, then introducing a solution of a practically colorless salt into the tank or receptacle and forcing the same into and throughout the wood by pressure, such treatment forming an insolubleprecipitate by the action of the salt employed 'on the tannin of the wood existing in a; much larger percent-age in the grain cells, thereby rominentlydevelo'ping the grain thereo ,while coloring the entire body of the wood throughout, but to. lighter shades than those given to the grain I 3. The improvement in the art of treating wood for the purpose of transforming its appearance and'producino' li ht shades of color diflferent from the natural color of the wood, consistin in impregnating or saturating the wood t roughout with a solution of a salt of iron which, acting on the tannin or allied matter contained in the wood, produces the shade or color desired, such treatment forming an insoluble preci itate by the actionof the salt employed ont etannm of the wood existing in a much larger ercentage in the grain or annual rings t an in theother parts, thereby developingand rendering very prominent the grain thereof, while coloringJ the entire body of the wood throughout, ut to lighter shades than those given to the grain 4. The improvement in the art of treating wood for the purpose of transforming its v appearance, consisting in first drying or seasoning the wood, then subjecting the dried wood to a vacuum process in a closed tank or receptacle, for the purpose of removing the air therefrom, then introducing a solution of a salt of iron into the tank or receptacle and forcing the same into and throughout the wood by pressure, such treatment forming an insoluble precipitate by the action of the salt employed on the tannin of the wood existing in a much larger ercentage in the grain or annual rings t an inthe other parts, thereby prominently developing the grain, whi e coloring the entire body of the wood throughout but to lighter shades than those given to the 4 grain a In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS HALL. 

